Goju Ryu conditioning methods

Here is a short video showing a few of the conditioning exercises I regularly use in my own training.

A few thoughts about Higaonna Kanryo sensei

As regular readers of this blog will know, I have a keen interest in the historical origins of Goju Ryu.  Often quite frustratingly, finding definate answers to the many questions about the roots of this art prove a difficult, if not near impossible task in most respects.

The problems begin right at the very beginning with Higaonna Kanryo sensei.  Born into a poor family and being unable to finish his education, Higaonna Kanyo sensei was one of many from that particular era of Ryukyu history who had the misfortune of being unable to read or write.  As a result of this we find no written documentation about his training or thoughts.   Whether such documentation might have survived the bombing of WW2 is another matter entirely.

So oral history provides most of what little we know of Higaonna sensei, and the passage of time, personal opinion, misinformation, and an underlying need to please the listener all have a significant effect upon how the story gets told.

It is commonly suggested that Higaonna sensei initially began his training in the Kumemura district of Naha under Maya Aragaki, and Kojo Taite.  What he actually learnt under these teachers is not known.  Later, Higaonna sensei travelled to Fuzhou where he learnt under either Kojo, Wai Shin Zan or the elusive Ru Ru Ko, staying from anywhere between 3 to 15 years.  Again, what he actually learnt in Fuzhou is unknown.

Upon his return to Okinawa, he reportedly suffered from depression and ill health, succumbing to the popular passtimes of that era of gambling, getting drunk and visiting the numerous brothels of the Tsuji district. 

According to Nagamine Shoshin sensei, Higaonna sensei became known as the secret bushi of Naha due to the fact that he refused to teach his art for some time.  Despite this, his reputation as a practitioner was well known in the area. 

Once the (commonly accepted) veil of secrecy was lifted upon the practise of martial arts in Okinawa, Higaonna sensei slowly began teaching interested practitioners.  Again, very frustratingly, what he actually taught is the subject of debate.  Schools of thought exist that Kanryo sensei taught only Sanchin, Sanseiru, Seisan and Suparinpei.  Others maintain that he also taught the remaining kata of the Goju system including Saifa, seiunchin, shisochin, seipai, and kururunfa.  Where is the content of the Chinese systems he might have studied in China?

All that is known for definate is that Kanryo sensei emphasised Sanchin practise and hojo undo, with the majority of lesson time being spent on these practises.

Miyagi Chojun sensei was a favourite student of Higaonna sensei and was in the very fortunate position of living close by to his teacher.  In addition to this, he came from a very wealthy background and so could afford to help his sensei by paying for his rent, food expenses and medical bills.  Remember that Higaonna sensei suffered from poor health upon his return to Okinawa, which was no doubt further harmed through his lifestyle.  Because of the devotion that Miyagi sensei showed toward his teacher, he was trusted greatly by Kanryo sensei, who would quite likely have been more forthcoming with information than he might have been with other students.

These are a few of the accepted stories about Kanyro sensei’s life.  The subject of his martial art is however quite mysterious, so we will in future look a little at some of the possible origins of the fighting traditions of Naha.

Lyoto Machida and the promotion of karatedo

Of late there has been a lot of discussion about Lyoto Machida on various karate forums.  Considering the bashing that the reputation of karatedo has taken in recent years, I think Machida could be just the breath of fresh air needed to give the art a renewed credibility and get more people interested in the practise, particularly the younger generation.

I myself have not followed the UFC or MMA in general for a few years, so I have not seen many of his previous fights, and have no idea of the current standard of fighters presently competing, but I took a look at the above link out of curiousity to see what all the fuss was about.  I was pleasantly suprised at various things said during the clip, and am very happy that traditional concepts and values appear to be getting exposure to a wider audience through the medium of this competitive format.  Values such as Shin, Gi, Tai and the importance of training the spirit.  Waiting or creating an opening, and then striking with complete conviction that the strike will be successful.  These matters concerning the spirit of a practitioner are things which rarely get a mention in this day and age.

Whilst it is very clear that Machidas’ success cannot be solely attributed to his karate training alone, the fact that he promotes karate as his primary practise can only be good for the art, especially if he continues to display the traditional values cultivated through the practise of budo, and remains distanced from the glitz, glamour, arrogance and egotism displayed by certain other fighters.

Why is the reputation of karatedo important?  For the art to survive in a meaningful way it will always need new blood.  30 years ago, this was not a problem as a person interested in learning the martial arts would maybe have only a couple of different arts to choose from in their local area.  These days, the world has become a much smaller place, and the choice avalible to the interested person is immense.  Traditional arts, modern arts, competitive arts, urban survival guerilla warfare arts, stabbing people in the eyes with bayonet arts, handgrenading your opponents extended families arts, etc.  The fact is that in the majority of cases, karate is viewed as something done by children, after all everybody knows about the 8 year old kid down the street who was in the paper this week for getting a black belt…..

The reputation of karatedo is damaged.  This is the truth.  How we go about distancing ourselves from the vast amounts of rubbish that make up the vast majority of dojo in the world is what may determine how karatedo is passed on to the future.  There are still a number of excellent dojo around, with extremely serious and dedicated practitioners, however unfortunately the unaware public is unable to differentiate between the serious dojo, and the general crap.  For those of you who have seen the movie ‘the foot fist way’ how much embarrassement was hidden behind your laughter at the realisation that this comedy actually isn’t too far removed from the truth? 

I make no apologies about the arrogant tone of this post, but I suspect that most of you will be quite understanding of my views on this matter.

For karatedo to continue into the future as a serious budo, its reputation HAS to change.  It has to become elitist, much like the classical bujutsu of Japan, and move away from how it is percieved by most people, as a babysitting service for their children while they do a bit of shopping.  If Machida can help promote the art of karatedo as a serious pursuit, then his success in the competitive arena of the UFC should be supported by those of us who are concerned about the future of this great tradition.

Response to a question

I was recently left a comment from Alex regarding my last post where he asked;

‘i have a question , if karate is not your life , what are doing in karate?’

The whole point of this blog is that maybe other practitioners might be able to gain a little insight into their own paths through some of my own experiences and be able to relate some of these to their own practise.

What am I doing in karate?  My main reason for practising is that I enjoy karatedo.  I like the history, the culture, the feeling of the movements, the challenge, and the discoveries I’ve made about my own character along the way.  In addition to this, my lifestyle requires a certain level of competency at defending myself, so karatedo also helps me a little in this regard.

Aside from all of this, I truly believe that practising karatedo can be very beneficial to a persons health.  I’m very lucky that I have never required a trip to the doctors through illness, never been admitted to hospital, and never sustained any serious injuries or breaks despite having taken a fair few beatings in the past from both people and accidents.

Aside from the fact that I enjoy karatedo, my main reason for practise is for these health benefits.  I have an almost ‘compulsive obsessive disorder’ when it comes to Sanchin, and I believe that missing just one day of Sanchin practise will have a negative effect upon my immune system.  As well as this, the ability to develop a good feel for techniques is something I have worked for a long time to develop, so missing practise on a given day may lead to me losing this feel.  I am aware of how strange this may sound, however I can only liken it to forgetting to brush your teeth and how strange and self conscious you would feel about yourself for the rest of the day if this happened.

Despite my strange habits and theories, I am not completely obsessive about my training.  When I say karate is not my life, I do not mean it is unimportant to me.  Quite the contrary, however, it is important to view karatedo in it’s correct perspective.

Miyazato Eiichi sensei advised his students that they should prioritise their time in the order of family, then work, then lastly karatedo.  I think this is excellent advice.  Karatedo in this sense is a major contributary factor to a persons life, but is not intrusive to the extent that it affects other more important areas of a persons life.  This balance is very important, and the moment you find you are dedicating more time to your practise than to the people you love, maybe its time to come away from the dojo and re-assess what you actually want from your training?

Alex, thank you for your kind comments, and I hope this answers your question.